But Johnson is unconvinced that any newspaper can really get under the skin of her readers. “Women need something that makes them feel included by the publication That might mean campaigns, as well as great stories. But it is a moot point whether a newspaper can ever do that because it can’t just be directed at women. Newspapers have to think of their male readers.”Jane Johnson read English at Brasenose College, Oxford, and started her degree the year that the Conservative leadership favourite David Cameron graduated.

“In terms of pure journalism Dacre is the best editor there is because his journalists have to be up to the highest standard and he never puts anything into the paper that he is not pleased with.”Last week The Observer announced the launch of a monthly magazine for women. The feminisation of titles including The Times, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph continues apace. Apparently Rooney likes to watch football and Coleen prefers soaps. Mrs Showbiz, aka Catherine Woods, asks readers to guess: “Which celebrity shagger did his reputation no good when he bonked in the bath at a recent house party?” and hinted that: “He likes Loos women.”So, is Closer taking over from newspapers? Johnson says it can compete to break stories. She has recruited journalists from the Daily Mail and News of the World to make sure She claims an advantage.

“The female readership is the holy grail for newspapers, but we are always going to do it better in a magazine. We can think 100 per cent of the time about what women really want from a publication. Our readers never feel they are being catered for as an add-on.”Closer tends to be sympathetic to the people we interview. We want the best story but we do tend to be sympathetic to women.

Some papers, often because they are edited by a man, will take an unsympathetic approach I get letters from readers saying: ‘This is my magazine You understand me. If I’ve got a relationship problem you’re there for me.’ They use Closer as guidance for their lives and to make them feel part of the world.”Johnson says some newspapers compete effectively for her readers – “The Mirror, from the perspective of being sympathetic, and the Mail from the perspective that it has some great sections for women.” She is a big fan of Mail editor, Paul Dacre. Last week Coleen’s “Welcome to My World” – as opposed to Wayne’s – revealed her excitement about a new split-screen television that lets couples sit together while watching separate shows. I make it look visually arresting and then I make it as newsy and addictive as possible.”The addictive bits include a weekly column by Colleen McLoughlin, girlfriend of England football star Wayne Rooney, and the Mr and Mrs Showbiz column, a direct challenge to the Daily Mirror’s 3am girls.

She was assistant editor of The Scotsman and Daily Record and executive editor of the Sunday Mirror before moving to Emap’s magazine division.
Closer’s blend of celebrity, real-life stories, diets and fashion is a combination of popular newspaper journalism and traditional magazine values. Johnson says: “It is built on what magazines do really well, which is getting the emotion into a story and having very high production values, plus the newspaper values of getting the best story you possibly can and then writing it in a very engaging way. Her success owes a great deal to the newspaper culture she criticises Jane Johnson came from newspapers. Johnson has just won for the second year in succession after taking Closer from launch to a circulation of 540,000 in two and a half years.